Uzbekistan: beyond survival

The massacre in Andijan was not the result of Islamic extremism, or even of growing absolute poverty, but the result of a fundamental breach of the social contract between state and citizen.

by Deniz Kandiyoti

THE bazaar in Andijan, Uzbekistan, witnessed an unusual scene in 2002. The police approached a trader selling coats and demanded to see his papers. When it became clear that they intended to confiscate his stock, he set every coat alight and watched his capital go up in flames. He chose the (...)